Arkansas Judge Criticizes Law Enforcement At Public Forum

File photo of Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen speaking on the steps of the Arkansas state Capitol.

Credit Jacob Kauffman / KUAR News

An outspoken Arkansas circuit court judge says there is systematic injustice in law enforcement.

Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Wendell Griffen along with Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and other officials gathered for a community forum called We Speak! Monday night in Jacksonville to discuss issues around policing and the black community.

Griffen has made public remarks about the war in Iraq and other political topics in the past. A complaint filed with the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission in 2007 over similar statements was dismissed after the panel found Griffen was engaging in constitutionally protected speech.

Hutchinson said during the forum Monday that his administration was engaging in efforts to address some of the underlying issues in the criminal justice system including increasing alternative sentencing courts and prisoner re-entry efforts.

Recent police-involved shootings and the targeting of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge has the nation on edge. Black communities and law enforcement throughout the country are struggling to find peace, unity, understanding, and trust with each other, including in Arkansas.